Mobiles x Mobilisation

Mobile technology is playing an ever-increasing role in campaigns, engagement and activism around the world—creating countless opportunities and corresponding challenges.

Mobiles x Mobilisation “camp” took place 27-29 October 2015 in Berlin, and convened a much needed space for peers and practitioners at campaigning organisations around the world to connect, collaborate and sharpen skills.

We closed gaps in our mobile engagement strategies for social change, and we invited inspiration from the front lines of mobile innovation—via industry leaders, trendsetters and researchers.

In Their Own Words

Below are some reflections, highlights and feedback from participants:

Connecting Knowledge, Laura Hilliger
Low-Tech Mobile Round up, Spacedog Blog

Pain points on #mobile #campaigns: strong strategy, keeping up engagement, sounding natural, good storytelling- anything else? #MobXBerlin
— Aggy Hall (@aggyhall) 28 de octubre de 2015

Thinking collectively about mobile mobilisation strategies at #MobXBerlin with people from 25 different countries! pic.twitter.com/aaZYYE9zhS
— Sina Nägel (@SinaNaegel) 27 de octubre de 2015

Digital security in activism is not teleological, not a categorical imperative. It's utilitarian. Stay safe longer, be effective #MobXBerlin
— Drew is typing ? (@drewSaysGoVeg) 28 de octubre de 2015

Outcomes

Build towards a global community of practice for mobile campaigning
Identify opportunities for strategic collaboration and knowledge sharing between participating organisations and campaigns
Map out / surface strategies and technologies working in different contexts
Identify gaps in mobile capacity in terms of tools, tactics, and resources
Find inspiration from past and current mobile campaigns both for learnings and strategic enhancements
Brainstorm and potentially design prospective future campaigns and shared tools
Address digital security aspects of mobile campaigning, mobile use and dependency on mobile infrastructure, including state surveillance and “fallback” scenarios
Identify collaborative channels for ongoing collaboration and resource sharing

Sessions and Notes

Day 1

Interactive Plenary – Spectrogram (post-it note photos) Mobile X Mobilisation: What does mobile and mobilisation mean to you?

Mobile X Mobilisation: What is it? (post-it note photos)
Which topics are most promising for focus and further discussion in the course of the agenda?(post-it note photos)

Notes from Mobile X Berlin interactive plenary.

Interactive Project Showcase – SpeedGeeking

Greenpeace India – Missed calls/ community radio
Frontline SMS
Ushahidi
Amandla.Mobi
Firechat App
Tactical Technology Collective
Responsible Data Forum
Asia Pacific Women’s Forum

Road Map for a successful SMS campaign with Missed Call technique by Greenpeace India.

Break-Out Sessions

Integrating Mobile: Getting started with mobile campaigns by Berry from Amnesty International
SMS Campaigns: What is SMS good for? By Alex from Frontline SMS
Online campaigning vs mobile. By Beatrice from Aspiration
Mobile Value: Delivering value for mobile users for higher engagement
Design Pattern for social change. By Drew from Mozilla Foundation
Mobile Ladder of Engagement: Sustaining long-term movement-building. By Michael Silberman, Mobilisation Lab at Greenpeace
Innovations & Limitations of Mobile Tech. By Eugene from 54 Degrees

Day 2

Morning Break-Out Sessions

Data Management: Working with quantitative data. By Ori from Purpose
Mobile Risk Assessment: Potential threats by Tactical Tech Collective
SMS 101: Developing your own SMS service, by Alex from FrontlineSMS
Online-Offline: Tactics & Strategy for integration, by Alex from Greenpeace
Breaking the Silos: Integrating across channels, by Mustafa from Greenpeace
Geo-targeting: Using surveillance tech for good, by Michael Silberman from Mobilisation Lab at Greenpeace

Mobile risk assessment: What are the potential threats on your phone?

Knowledge Farmers Market

Digital Tools for Activism (including Apps)
Capacity Building
Case Studies of Mobile
Desired
Impact
Kids
Security
Vanity
Wish List

Knowledge Farmer’s Market: List of resources to build capacity in Mobile/ Mobilisation

Afternoon Break-Out Sessions

Ethics of Mobile Campaigning by Maya from The Engine Room
SMS 202: Steps to launching a mobile campaign, by Alex from Frontline SMS
Mobile fundraising: Peer to Peer tools and opportunities, by Sina from Greenpeace Germany
Storytelling for Mobile: Narrative, 360 video and more, by Emily Hunter from Mobilisation Lab at Greenpeace
Data Collection, by Sebastian
Responsive Mobile: Challenges and designing responsive, by Luke from Save the Children

More Afternoon Break-Out Sessions

Video: Strengths and Challenges of using video for human rights, by Jackie from Witness
Peer-to-Peer: Open leadership and empowering people, by Laura from Greenpeace International
Low-Tech: Opportunities with radio, paper and more, by Josh Spacedog XYZ
SMS 303: Prototyping an SMS Campaign, by Alex from FrontlineSMS
Mobile for Direct-Action, live events and front-lines, by Yakup from Greenpeace
Campaign Strategy: Developing a strategy to move forward, by Bruce from Amnesty International

Working sessions explored peer-to-peer, low-tech and prototyping SMS campaigns.

Day 3

Campaign Design Jam

Small groups dove into mobile campaigns and concepts, giving feedback and digging deep to help make them a reality!

Participant Skill Share

What skill can one person teach in 30 minutes? One example was:

How to build SMS Campaign and Journey? – Anirban of Greenpeace International
How to understand the difference between What’s App and SMS? – Alex from Frontline SMS
How to use micro-tasking in your campaign? How to manage media relationships?